New rescue: Underweight Boar

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rshevin

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2006 5:01 pm


Ok, I just walked in the door with a new rescue from the pound. He's an adult boar, possibly abby-ruvian and he's VERY underweight. He came in in the smallest possible pet store cage living on wet paper shavings and get this, there were all these Peta stickers on the cage about being humane and yet here he was in this tiny cage. I'll post a pic of the cage when I get it from another volunteer. Meanwhile, I really need the GL expertise! I am desperate that he do well with me (long story). His current stats:

Weight: 874g
Eyes: clear
Ears: clear
Nails: pointy and long
Skin: the skin on his abdomen and scrotum has white, flaky spots. I assume this is a fungal infection? Which kind of Monistat, the regular 7 day creams? Twice a day? The cage was a perfect breeding ground for fungus, nothing absorbant at all.
Mites: a vet-tech friend has ivermectin! I'm getting some from her tomorrow to treat both new pig and Piggy. They're quarentined but it's been over 2 years since Piggy was last treated so it won't hurt.
Poos: dark, moist, smallish but normal

Food: 1/4c Oxbow cavy cuisine, handful KM timothy, I'm planning on giving both food and pellets free choice until he gains some weight. No veggies until he settles in tonight.

Name: Little guy needs a name!

Please, any and everything you can think of to help him get off on the right track!

Here's the new guy, he's on towels tonight so I can monitor output:
Image

Best images I could get of the flakey skin:
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Fweeprluvr

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2006 5:13 pm


Geez, he looks like Spot!

Hard to tell from the pictures. Maybe just a bath and proper dry bedding and mite treatment would do it.

What a cute widdle tummy!

Bless you for saving him.

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rshevin

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2006 5:22 pm


My first reaction was that he looks like Spot too. The pictures don't show his belly well enough, I'm going to try to crop and enlarge it. There are definately white flaky spots but I'm going to get this little dude up and running. He freezes every time I walk in the bedroom so I'm trying to leave him alone with his food to settle in.

Edit: a much clearer crop of the belly:
Image

Fweeprluvr

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2006 6:00 pm


Could it be what they call scurf from the mites? Is that the only place he has it? I actually don't have alot of experience with this so I will leave it for wiser heads.

Good luck.

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rshevin

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2006 6:01 pm


It very well could be. I don't SEE it anywhere else but of course, he isn't bald anywhere else. Ivermectin treatment starts for both pigs tomorrow. I'm going to shower and then see what other ideas everyone has before I go out.

Did you see his little belly button up there? You can just make it out.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2006 6:11 pm


I think a Nizoral shampoo would help some. Don't really know for sure what it is. If you're treating for mites with ivermectin and you do something for fungus, that should hit the most likely suspects.

Okay with you if I add the last pic to the board?

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rshevin

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2006 6:29 pm


Fine with me, add away (carte blanche permission). Nizoral isn't a bad idea because he's definately in need of a bath at some point.

Fweeprluvr

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2006 6:32 pm


Is he scratching alot? I've heard that you can send them into seizures if you stimulate them with something like a bath if the mites are bad enough. I think they recommend getting started with the mite treatments first and let that kill some of them before too much stimulation. Again, not my area of expertise, but I remember reading that in one of Josephines threads somewhere.

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rshevin

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2006 6:41 pm


Yup, I read that too so the bath will hold off (hence my initial idea of the monistat) but I think that a few days after ivermectin he'll definately be getting a bath with something at least. I haven't seen any scratching at all. The mite treatment is just prophylactic.

Edit: Lynx told me once there isn't any literature to prove this, just acecdotal evidence.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2006 6:52 pm


If it were me:

1. Begin ivermectin treatment as you have mentioned;
2. Take a very soft cloth damp with warm water, and gently cleanse the speckly area. Some of that looks like it could be no more than caked-on urine residue. See how much of it will gently wash off;
3. Once clean, apply a very thin coat of Monistat over the skin. Not too much; he may ingest some. I think all the creams are the same concentration, but I'm not sure on that. I just save the little tubes they give you with the 3-day inserts when I, um, need them.

After he's settled down and is more comfortable with you, I agree that a Nizoral bath may help. A diaper rash cream (unscented if at all possible) may help, too.

Believe it or not 874 g is not that bad. He looks like he's not in too awfully terrible of shape.

Good luck and bless you for pulling him.

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rshevin

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2006 7:03 pm


Thanks Talishan. That agrees very much with my gut instinct.

Not too long ago I lost an underweight pig to malnutrition due to malocculsion and he had fooled me into thinking he was at least a little ok so I'm really, really paranoid about this guy. I do agree he doesn't look too awful but well, you know how it is with pigs, touch and go.

I have some critical care in the freezer so depending on how many pellets he eats tonight, I might mix up some thick mushballs in the morning.

He also needs a butt cut and a nail trim but all that gets to wait until tomorrow. He's too stressed, came into the shelter this morning, spent the day there, then tonight comes home with me. That's a lot.

HollyT
Get on your bike.

Post   » Sat Nov 04, 2006 7:05 pm


I agree with you Talishan on #2. Maybe mix some desitin into the regime. He is just so cute. I love him.

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